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Stephen Colbert recreates Coldplay kiss cam moment with animated Trump and Paramount logo after The Late Show cancellation

Stephen Colbert recreates Coldplay kiss cam moment with animated Trump and Paramount logo after The Late Show cancellation

Time of India4 days ago
Stephen Colbert returned to The Late Show on Monday (July 21) for the first time since news broke that the long-running chat show, which he's hosted since 2005, will be cancelled in May 2026. While CBS cited declining ratings as the primary reason, many believe the decision was politically motivated, a theory amplified by a post from former US President Donald Trump. Colbert didn't hold back during his return, taking direct jabs at Trump and even spoofing the viral Coldplay Kiss Cam moment, but with a twist involving Trump and Paramount. For context, CBS is owned by Paramount Global.
Stephen Colbert gives Coldplay Kiss Cam a Donald Trump twist
Colbert kicked off his big return on Monday night and was supported by fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, and John Oliver, all showing up unannounced just to have his back. Also in attendance were Adam Sandler, Anderson Cooper, and Christopher McDonald. Jon Stewart and John Oliver.
In one memorable moment from the night, he poked fun at the Coldplay Kiss Cam moment that recently went viral, but with a very pointed twist. He had 'Weird Al' Yankovic and Lin-Manuel Miranda perform Viva la Vida live on set, recreating the Coldplay concert vibe.
As the camera scanned the studio audience, it showed some unexpected and hilarious pairings: Anderson Cooper cosying up to Andy Cohen, Jimmy Fallon sharing a laugh with Seth Meyers, Adam Sandler with Christopher McDonald, and even Jon Stewart and John Oliver getting in on the joke. But the kicker came when the camera cut to an animated Trump hugging the Paramount logo, only to be rejected. Colbert paused the whole thing to say it was just a "purely financial decision," throwing shade at CBS and the official reasoning behind his show's cancellation.
Stephen Colbert recreates the Coldplay kiss cam incident with an animated Donald Trump and the Paramount logo. pic.twitter.com/bhWrlpeYDo
For the unversed, Astronomer CEO Andy Bryon and HR head Kristin Cabot were seen cosying up at Coldplay's Boston concert last week. He has since been fired from the company, though no official reason has been given.
Trump taunts Colbert on Truth Social
A few days before the show aired, Trump posted on social media, gloating about the cancellation. He called Colbert talentless, claimed his ratings were terrible, and even suggested Jimmy Kimmel was next.
🔴President Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to celebrate the cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which will end in May 2026. pic.twitter.com/YAoIpwEvtJ
When Colbert read the post out loud on air, he didn't hold back. Looking straight into the camera, he fired back with, 'Go f*** yourself.' Then, referring to Trump's claim that Kimmel was next to go, Colbert joked, 'I'm the martyr here. There's only room for one on this cross.'
CBS had announced earlier that The Late Show would end in May 2026, citing a shift in late-night strategy and declining viewership. The network thanked Colbert for his contributions and called him one of the sharpest voices of his generation.
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Astronomer brings in Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow in a ‘PR masterclass' move after ‘kiss cam' drama: ‘Best brand response of the year'
Astronomer brings in Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow in a ‘PR masterclass' move after ‘kiss cam' drama: ‘Best brand response of the year'

Indian Express

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  • Indian Express

Astronomer brings in Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow in a ‘PR masterclass' move after ‘kiss cam' drama: ‘Best brand response of the year'

Amid the media frenzy sparked by the recent Coldplay concert kiss cam controversy, data company Astronomer has found an unexpected way to handle the spotlight, by bringing in none other than Gwyneth Paltrow, ex-wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, as a 'very temporary' spokesperson. The Oscar-winning actress appears in a new promotional video posted on X, where she calmly introduces herself: 'Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer.' The unexpected cameo comes just days after Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristin Cabot resigned following a viral kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert, a clip that quickly made its way around the Internet and triggered intense public scrutiny. In the video, Paltrow says the company has been flooded with questions and is now aiming to clear the air: 'Astronomer has received a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted to answer the most common ones.' But it's not just damage control. Paltrow also uses the moment to spotlight the company's latest innovations in AI and data, and even plugs their upcoming Beyond Analytics conference in September. In a lighter moment, she acknowledges the team's resilience with a cheeky nod to the company's social media crew. The clip ends with her saying, 'Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.' Astronomer suddenly found itself in the spotlight, not for its data tools, but because of a viral moment involving its former top brass. At the centre of the drama are ex-CEO Andy Byron and former Head of People Kristin Cabot, whose brief appearance on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert sparked a flurry of speculation. The clip shows the two looking unusually close, only to quickly pull away when the camera landed on them. Martin, who noticed the awkward moment in real-time, quipped to the crowd that 'either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' That line only added fuel to the already swirling rumours of a possible affair. What made the situation more controversial is that both Byron and Cabot are married—he to Megan Kerrigan, and she to Andrew Cabot, heir to a prominent Boston family and owner of Privateer Rum. As the video circulated widely, Astronomer responded by placing both executives on leave while launching an internal investigation. Byron soon resigned from his role, and Cabot followed with her own exit days later. In the words of the interim CEO, Astronomer has now 'become a household name', though certainly not in the way the company intended. Reacting to the Paltrow ad, a user wrote, 'I want to know what prompt you used on what system to come up with this PR response because chef's kiss.' Another user said, 'Guys this is a PR masterclass. You take the most viral moment of July 2025 and, instead of disaster control, make light of the situation and create the ultimate brand awareness. Bravo.' A third person wrote, 'it hits even better when you find out Gwyneth Paltrow is the ex-wife of the guy from Coldplay…the rascals in marketing cooked on this one forever internet lore.'

Kiss cam scandal: Astronomer taps Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow for PR
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Business Standard

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  • Business Standard

Kiss cam scandal: Astronomer taps Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow for PR

Hollywood actress and lifestyle brand Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow has entered the tech chat — temporarily — to address the fallout from a viral "kiss cam" moment at a Coldplay concert. The incident involved the very public discovery of an extramarital affair between the US-based AI startup Astronomer's former CEO and chief people officer. Chris Martin's ex Gwyneth Paltrow addresses Astronomer kiss cam scandal In a tongue-in-cheek video posted Friday on Astronomer's official X account, the Hollywood actress, who was married to Coldplay's Chris Martin for over a decade before "consciously uncoupling" in 2014, declared she's been hired on a 'very temporary basis' to represent the New York-based AI startup's 300-plus employees. Her mission? Not to talk about the kiss cam scandal that's been lighting up social media for the past week. 'Thank you for your interest in Astronomer,' Paltrow says at the start of the video. 'Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones,' she says. The video opens with someone typing, 'OMG! What the actual F...,' before cutting to Paltrow cheerfully praising the company's AI capabilities, 'Yes, Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow'. 'We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation,' she adds. In another clip, she interrupts a question beginning with, 'How is your social media team holding…' to instead announce that registration is still open for Astronomer's Beyond Analytics event in September. 'We will now be returning to what we do best — delivering game-changing results for our customers,' she says, smiling. The Coldplay kiss cam incident The message follows a very public scandal involving former CEO Andy Byron and then-Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, who were caught in an awkward embrace on a 'kiss cam' during a July 16 Coldplay concert near Boston. Both executives — who are married to other people — quickly became the subject of online speculation after dodging the camera in a way that even Coldplay frontman Chris Martin couldn't ignore. 'Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy,' Martin joked from the stage, in a clip that's been shared widely across platforms. The fallout was swift. Byron stepped down on July 19, and Cabot resigned on Thursday. In a July 18 statement, the company said it had launched an internal investigation and added, 'Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability.' Astronomer confirmed Thursday that Cabot was the woman in the video. Neither she nor Byron has publicly commented. Byron's wife, Megan Kerrigan, and Cabot's husband, Andrew Cabot, have also stayed silent. Astronomer's PR spin gets applause The AI startup's PR stunt seems to be paying off, with users praising the team and laughing along. One user commented,'You hired the Coldplay singer's ex-wife. Extraordinary.' Another wrote, "Your PR team deserves a raise!" The video has amassed nearly 10 million views on X in under 12 hours.

'Made me a meme': Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron to sue Coldplay over viral kiss cam controversy. Chris Martin reacts
'Made me a meme': Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron to sue Coldplay over viral kiss cam controversy. Chris Martin reacts

Time of India

time38 minutes ago

  • Time of India

'Made me a meme': Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron to sue Coldplay over viral kiss cam controversy. Chris Martin reacts

The Coldplay drama has not died down yet as former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron may sue Coldplay for showing him embracing Kristin Cabot , the HR chief of Astronomer. Rob Shuter #ShuterScoop reported citing insiders that Andy Byron is planning to file a lawsuit against Coldplay and the event organisers, citing "emotional distress" and "invasion of privacy." He is reportedly blaming Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for the controversy he found himself in after the kiss cam scandal went viral on social media. Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron could sue Coldplay due to the massive fallout from his kiss cam fiasco with his former colleague Kristin Cabot, a legal expert confirmed to New York Post. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Product Management PGDM others healthcare Management Data Science Data Science Others Degree Finance Project Management Artificial Intelligence MBA Leadership Technology Healthcare Cybersecurity MCA Data Analytics Public Policy Digital Marketing CXO Operations Management Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Product Strategy & Roadmapping User-Centric Product Design Agile Product Development Market Analysis & Product Launch Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business Professional Certificate in Product Management Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Creating Effective Product Roadmap User Research & Translating it to Product Design Key Metrics via Product Analytics Hand-On Projects Using Cutting Edge Tools Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Product Management Starts on May 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Product Strategy & Competitive Advantage Tactics Product Development Processes & Market Orientations Product Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making Agile Development, Design Thinking, & Product Leadership Duration: 40 Weeks IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Product Management Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Andy Byron to sue Coldplay? 'If we are getting creative, a possible claim would be for defamation, specifically as it relates to Chris Martin characterizing the two as having an 'affair,'' attorney Camron Dowlatshahi from MSD Lawyers exclusively told Page Six. A source close to Byron told Page Six, 'He didn't consent to being filmed or publicly humiliated. He thinks Coldplay made him a meme." Dowlatshahi explained that Byron would need to demonstrate "that there wasn't an affair" to prove defamation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like I Thought I'd Never Walk Again – Then I Tried This Sleeve Wellnee Undo ALSO READ: Astronomer's stunning move: Tech firm hires Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow days after kiss cam scandal The report also includes an unofficial reaction from Chris Martin who laughed out loud at the idea of being sued over a kiss cam. Legal experts say the lawsuit would be a "long shot." One attorney told Page Six, "At a public concert with cameras and 70,000 people, your expectation of privacy is near zero. It sounds like he's trying to shift blame." The MSD Lawyers partner says Byron would also have to prove in court that Martin 'knew or should have known' that the disgraced CEO was not cheating 'but made the statement anyway with malice.' Live Events 'None of those elements will be met, so any claim against Coldplay would be frivolous,' Dowlatshahi points out before highlighting yet another reason Byron would likely abstain from legal action. 'I also very much doubt that Mr. Byron would want further public scrutiny by bringing a borderline frivolous suit against the event organizers and/or Coldplay.' ALSO READ: Largest great white shark ever captured in Florida leaves scientists stunned. It measures 13.8 feet and weighs 1,653 pounds What is the Coldplay kiss cam controversy? Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot hid in shame after they were caught canoodling at Coldplay's concert near Boston last week. Chris Martin, 48, told fans over the mic, 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy. After the moment went viral on social media, Andy Byron was subjected to mockery and it also cost him his job. His personal life appears to be unraveling as well—his wife, Megan Kerrigan, has reportedly moved out of their family home and is now living elsewhere. ALSO READ: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon snubbed Amazon's Jeff Bezos job offer. The real reason will surprise you The duo had to face massive backlash online, and Astronomer immediately placed both Byron and Cabot on leave and initiated an internal investigation into the incident. On July 19, Byron resigned from his role as CEO; Cabot resigned shortly afterwards, on July 24. Meanwhile, Coldplay fans sparked a viral moment after spotting Andy Byron and Cabot at a concert, openly hugging and kissing throughout the performance. Multiple videos of the couple began circulating online, with many users joking that had they remained seated, they might have escaped public attention in the massive crowd.

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